


GhostRoasters!

by peridotlines



Category: Ghostbusters (2016)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, F/F, Fluff, Holtzbert Week
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-14
Updated: 2017-07-14
Packaged: 2018-12-01 23:57:43
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,637
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11497497
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/peridotlines/pseuds/peridotlines
Summary: In another life Erin runs her own coffee shop and Holtz is a chemistry professor with a serious caffeine addiction.Holtzbert Week, Day 5





	GhostRoasters!

**Author's Note:**

> Here I am cutting it close to the wire yet again. 
> 
> I bring you my contribution to day 5 of Holtzbert Week, a Coffee Shop AU. I've always wanted to write one of these! Hopefully I did it justice.
> 
> As always, thank you to my incomparable beta **daphnedangerlove**.

Erin raced back to the kitchen, the tell-tale aroma of cookies moments from burning wafting toward her. Her last customer had insisted on watching her make his complicated half-caf, vanilla soy latte with just a touch of caramel syrup and then insisted she watch him take his first sip to make sure it met his approval. _If that clown ruined this batch of cookies, she’d for sure find a ghost to haunt him._ When she finally yanked out the tray, she sighed with relief. The edges were a little browner than usual, but there would be no need for her to stay late making another batch.

Erin set the cookie sheet on the counter, before sliding the next batch into the oven. She set a timer this time and she’d just started loading the cookies onto the cooling rack when the bell up front signaled the arrival of another customer.

“I’ll be with you in just a moment!” Erin called out. “Of all the days,” Erin said, slipping the last cookie onto the cooling rack before making her way to the register.

“Welcome to GhostRoasters.” Erin’s voice faltered slightly as her eyes fell on the woman before her, taking in a shock of wild blonde hair and a well-worn lab coat with the name Holtzmann embroidered on it. As their gazes met, something flickered between them. Erin felt a spark of recognition but she brushed it off.

“W- Wh- What can I get for you?” Erin asked, relieved when communication seemed to be functioning between her brain and mouth again.

The woman looked back at her with an openness that Erin should have found disarming but instead, she found herself charmed.

“Surprise me.” The woman’s gaze darted over the menu and back to Erin.

“What are you looking for?” Erin asked. “A drink, a buzz to get you through the rest of the day, or a kick in the pants?”

“It’s always going to be number three,” she said, giving her a wink.

“It’s kind of late in the day, but some of my regulars swear by the Proton Pack,” Erin said.

“Who am I to question the power of a positively charged subatomic particle?” she said. “I’ll have that and one of whatever’s in the oven that smells so amazing.”

Erin grinned and rang up the order. “Can I get your name?”

“Holtzmann,” she said offering her hand. “Jillian, Virgo, avid skier, gluten- _full_ and 100% jazzed to meet you.”

Erin took her hand, unable to ignore the flutter in her chest as they shook hands. 

She finished ringing up the order and then set about preparing the drink. “I can get you a cookie right out of the oven if you’re okay waiting for a couple more minutes?” Erin said.

“Hells yes,” Holtzmann said, before leaning forward to rest her arms on the counter. “So, GhostRoasters huh? Where’d you come up with that name?”

Erin considered her words carefully, giving the other woman a quick once over before she answered. Holtzmann’s carefree demeanor had already set Erin at ease, and she felt none of her usual reticence about sharing her story. After glancing around the shop and noting the other patrons were preoccupied or out of earshot, Erin walked back to the counter and attempted an answer.

“I see ghosts,” Erin said, trying to keep her voice low.

“Tell me more,” Holtzmann said, looking like she was going to launch herself over the counter to catch every detail.

Erin turned back to the espresso machine and collected the triple shots, trying to keep an eye on her as she combined them with what she considered to be a literal bomb of sugar.

“Your drink.” Erin deposited the cup on the counter and then glanced at her watch. “The cookies will be out in a minute.”

“So, you’ve seen ghosts, as in plural?” Holtzmann asked.

At this question, Erin couldn’t help the panicked glance around the café. It was reflexive at this point, even if she was past allowing people questioning her sanity to get to her. It seemed like Holtzmann’s question was borne of genuine curiosity rather than outright disbelief. Erin managed a quick nod, but was unable to verbally respond.

“What are they like?” Holtzmann brought the cup to her lips and took a sip, her eyes widening before she placed it back on the counter. “Are you actually licensed to serve this thing?”

Erin managed a brighter smile at that comment and then attempted an answer to the first question Holtzmann had posed.

“The first one I ever saw was my next-door neighbor,” Erin said. “She was the meanest old lady on the block before she died, and that seemed to carry over for some reason.”

Before Holtzmann could ask another question, the alarm on Erin’s watch beeped. “I’ll get you that cookie,” Erin said. “To go?”

Holtzmann glanced at the clock and frowned. “I wish I could stick around and hear more about your ghost, but I’ve got a freshman chemistry lab to oversee.”

Even though she’d known Holtzmann was short on time, the answer disappointed her. “I’ll be right back,” Erin said.

She returned a minute later, carefully sliding a bag across the counter. “It’s still pretty hot, so you might want to give it a couple minutes, but I think the wait will be worth it.”

Holtzmann responded with a quick nod and a bright smile. “I’m sure it will be.”

“Good luck with the chemistry lab,” Erin said. “Hopefully there won’t be any explosions.”

Holtzmann rubbed her eyebrows. “Yeah, these just grew back in. Freshmen!“” Holtzmann said.

Erin laughed.

 

“A Proton Pack and one -just one- cookie.” Holtzmann said slapping a pile of bills on the counter.

“If you can wait a minute, I’ll get you one fresh,” Erin said.

“Someone tried that on me last week, and I walked out of here with extraneous cookies,” Holtzmann said. “I’m back to repay my cookie debt.”

“I have no idea who you’re talking about,” Erin said, trying for an innocent expression.

“Come on Ghost Girl, you can’t fool me,” Holtz said.

Erin jumped at the name, surprised to hear something so familiar from a relative stranger. “How did you know?”

“Is it your secret identity?” Holtz asked, looking around conspiratorially. “Did I just blow your cover?”

Erin laughed and shook her head while recognizing the growing sensation of familiarity she felt with Holtzmann.

“You can call me Erin,” she said. “Ghost Girl is kind of a thing of the past.”

“Gottcha.” Holtz gave her a salute and then leaned against the counter to watch her work.

“Blowing anything up in Chem Lab tonight?” she asked.

“I get to monitor an exam,” Holtz said. “But, between this and some reading material I picked up, the night won’t be a total bust.”

“Anything good?” Erin asked.

“Maybe you know it?” Holtz asked, pulling a ragged hard cover book from her bag and dropping it on the counter.

Erin cast a glance towards the book and went back to fixing Holtz’s drink, only for the image to suddenly register in her mind. She spun back around, dropping Holtzmann’s drink and sending a spray of sugary espresso over her shoes and across the floor.

She swore and then bent down to pick up the cup, grabbing a rag to mop up the coffee while the world felt like it had shifted on its axis.

“Sorry, I couldn’t resist,” Holtz said. “You okay?”

Erin nodded and then got up to examine the book, _Ghosts from our Past Both Literally and Figuratively: A Study of the Paranormal._ She ran her fingertips over the title and then looked up at Holtz.

“Where did you find this?” she asked. “I thought she’d destroyed both copies.”

Erin turned the book over to look at the back cover, staring at an image of herself and her co-author, so self-assured, before they’d been made the butt of one too many jokes. Abby had surprised them both by throwing in the towel; telling Erin she believed her, but without some way to reveal what she saw to the general public the science was useless. Erin had quit soon after, immersing herself in a part-time job at a bakery that eventually led her to opening her own shop.

“You have time for a couple more questions?” Holtz asked.

“Sorry.” Erin shook her head and nodded back towards the kitchen. “I’ve got another batch to mix up, and I’ve got to get a head start on a couple of things for tomorrow.”

“Alright,” Holtzmann said.

Erin rushed through the process of re-making Holtz’s drink and snuck in a couple extra cookies, sliding the cup and bag across the counter. “Sorry about before.”

“I can’t resist a surprise,” Holtz shrugged and then collected her items. “Probably ought to reconsider that philosophy around hot beverages…”

Erin watched as Holtzmann took a sip from her drink, nodding to herself and licking away the foam clinging to her upper lip. 

“You’re sure this isn’t laced with amphetamines?”

“Go easy, I don’t want to be responsible for an overdose,” Erin said.

Holtz turned to leave and then paused, stepping back to the counter and lowering her voice. “What are the odds I could come back some time to ask specifically about…?”

Erin’s breath caught as a thrill of excitement went through her at the request. 

“Sure, I’m here most nights,” Erin said.

She thought she heard another customer murmur something that sounded suspiciously like “Because you have no life.”

Choosing to ignore the comment, she tried to give Holtzmann a smile instead.

“Maybe come back close to closing time? If that’s not too late for you?”

“I’m leaving for a conference tomorrow, but for sure next week sometime.” Holtzmann then set the bag carefully down on the counter and opened it to peer inside before Erin could stop her. “If this is you trying to win me over, it’s working.” 

Holtz’s voice sent a shiver down Erin’s spine.

With that, Holtzmann gave her another salute and then turned to shimmy out the door. “Thank you, have a lovely afternoon.”

Erin watched as Holtzmann stepped out onto the sidewalk and happened to catch the eye of someone else walking past.

“This place has the best cookies, you should totally get one, or a dozen. And a coffee, it will blow you away.” Holtzmann’s voice carried as she disappeared down the sidewalk.

Erin felt like she had to tear herself away from staring out the window when the next timer went off for the cookies.

 

The next week, Holtz strolled in just before Erin closed up for the night. 

“How about some milk and cookies?” Erin said. “I was testing something new earlier, you can be my guinea pig.”

“A woman after my own heart,” Holtzmann said, giving her a wink.

Erin directed Holtz to a table and they each took a seat. She found herself waiting for Holtz’s reaction as she dipped a cookie into the milk and then took a bite. The satisfied moan that followed almost made her swoon, and she had to suppress a nervous giggle at her own reaction.

“It’s a taste explosion,” Holtz said, before taking another bite. “I can’t get enough.”

Holtz tried to recline in her seat, folding her hands behind her head and leaning backwards, her eyes slipping closed for a moment.

“Long day?” Erin asked.

Holtz fluttered her eyes open again and gave Erin a sheepish smile. “I’d ask for a Proton Pack, but I’m pretty sure you’d refuse.”

“Damn right,” Erin said. “Maybe we should reschedule.”

“Are you kidding me?” Holtz sat up, back at full attention. “I came here for ghost stories, don’t disappoint me now!”

“Okay, well, I guess I’ll start at the beginning,” Erin said.

 

Holtz established herself as a regular after that, stopping by before her labs and making the occasional stop in the evening right before Erin closed up for the night. Erin found herself looking forward to the evening visits when they weren’t interrupted by customers. Holtz told crazy stories about her students (“Radioactive pants!”), shared every picture she had of her four chinchillas (“they’re my children”), and took up the mantle of official GhostRoasters taste-tester (“I wear it with pride”). Eventually, Erin even came up with a special drink she made just for Holtz, although she was limited to one a week.

Erin had integrated so much of Holtzmann’s presence into her day-to-day life, that when she failed to show up one evening, she felt like her day was suddenly incomplete. It had been known to happen, especially when Holtz had first started coming by. Erin was also aware mid-terms were coming up, and she told herself Holtz had probably gotten wrapped up with something at school.

Erin contented herself with the knowledge that tomorrow was a lab day and she would see Holtz then, but the following afternoon she never arrived.

First, Erin tried to reach Holtz at the number she’d given her a few weeks ago, only for the call to go directly to her voicemail. A steady stream of customers kept Erin busy through the rest of the day, and every time she called the Kenneth P Higgins Institute they managed to redirect her to different, equally unhelpful people, until someone eventually dropped the call. 

For once, Erin closed up the shop early and decided to go over to the school to see if she could track Holtz down. Unfortunately, given the late hour, the buildings were locked and she had no way to get inside.

Erin pulled out her phone and dialed Holtzmann’s number once more, relieved when the call actually rang through, just as the tinny sound of someone’s phone going off sounded behind her. Erin whirled around, not realizing she had company, only to come face to face with Holtzmann, or at least someone who might resemble her.

The sun had started to set, and the street lamps cast everything into odd shadows, but there was something about how they fell across Holtz’s face that didn’t make sense.

“Erin?” Holtz’s face broke into a smile and she stepped closer, pulling her into a hug.

When Holtz stepped back a moment later, Erin kept her within arms reach, still trying to figure out what she was looking at. Holtz laughed and then pulled out what appeared to be a new phone, turning on her flashlight and holding it up so Erin could get a better look at her face.

“There was a lab incident,” Holtz said.

Erin could only stare at the splotches of neon purple scattered over Holtz’s face, one above her right eyebrow seemed to be shaped like a tiny heart. Erin brought her other hand up, smoothing her thumb over the mark and then looking back into Holtz’s eyes. “Are you okay?”

Holtz nodded and then tucked her phone away, leaving them in growing darkness. 

Erin took Holtz’s hand, lacing their fingers together and pulling her back in the direction of the shop. They walked in silence, waiting until they were back inside to continue their conversation.

“I’m so glad you’re alright.” Erin gave Holtz’s hand a squeeze, unwilling to let her go.

“I didn’t mean to worry you,” Holtz said. “It wasn’t serious, but my old phone is scrap metal and I’m going to be bright purple for a few days.”

Erin took in the full effect, realizing some of Holtz’s hair had also taken on a distinctly purple hue.

“I think it suits you.” Erin teased at a few of the glowing strands before Holtz ducked away.

“You’re just saying that because you like me,” Holtz said.

Erin leaned forward to brush a kiss over the little heart. “As long as you’re part of my life, I don’t care what you look like.”

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you so much for reading! Please share your thoughts below, or you can find me on Twitter and Tumblr, @peridotlines.
> 
> Have a lovely day!


End file.
